


Serendipity

by PersonalityTest



Category: Kagerou Project
Genre: F/M, Plot? What Plot?, random AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:24:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PersonalityTest/pseuds/PersonalityTest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A day into my internship at the general hospital, and I already want to punch the supervisor’s teeth out. College AU. HaruTaka, ShinAya.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> ec·cen·tric /ikˈsentrik/ (adj): deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd

A day into my internship at the general hospital, and I already want to punch the supervisor’s teeth out.

And I swear to god I don’t act all that violent. I was completely calm, refined and elegant, just like Ayano told me to be. _He_ was just being an arrogant prick.

…What? I was! I’m not some sort of wild girl, okay? I have manners!

Great, now I’m talking to myself. Good job there, Takane. Maybe you can ask the robotic supervisor what’s-his-face to save you a spot in the Mental Illnesses wing. Oh, and throw in a comfy straitjacket, too. There are always straitjackets involved in drama TV shows.

“Ms. Enomoto.” The guy’s emotionless voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. Sheesh, someone should tie a bell around his neck. “Are there any problems? You seem unnerved.”

My eyebrows twitch dangerously. _Unnerved? I’ll show you unnerved, you son of a…how would you like having soda splattered across that lab coat, you prissy little-?_

Of course, me pretending to be elegant and ladylike and all that stuff Ayano likes to preach about, I don’t tell him that. Instead, I stand up a little bit straighter, look at him dead in the eye and said in the most obnoxious schoolgirl voice I can muster, “Oh, _of course_ not! I’m terribly, terribly sorry…I was just a little lost, and thank god I came across you! Can you _pwetty please_ guide me back to the conference room?”

Naturally, I didn’t forget. Why would I wander around if I didn’t know my way back? Contrary to my little fake-out, I’m not dumb. But he doesn’t need to know that.

I smirk to myself a little, carefully watching his expression. Usually, whenever I use this taste-like-diabetes voice, there are a few fixed outcomes. Those guys at the bar who haven’t learned of my reputation will consider me a dumb chick and try to buy me a drink. Ayano will look at me with that disapproving glance she inherited from her mom, but even then she’s trying to hold back laughter. Those who have encountered me or heard of me, on the other hand, will make some kind of lame excuses and run away. It’s become a sort of formula…one that’s great for scaring off idiotic guys and getting a few free drinks.

…Hmm? What I did that scared those guys so badly? Y’know, a few well-placed taunts to poke at their egos, a bet, the billiards table, the whole package. Billiards is a lot like shooting games, in a way, and I _own_ those games. Those guys didn’t even know what hit them.

Wow, thinking back, I really _was_ a wild child. Then came junior year, though, and here I am dealing with blinding white labs, medical internships, robotic, arrogant supervisors, and that ever-familiar smell of antiseptic and bleach. They should add some clowns and snakes to complete the Takane Phobia Fun Pack.

“I see,” the guy says, interrupting my train of thought, and his voice…shows no emotion. Not even surprise or suspicion, or even annoyance. “Follow me. And next time, please don’t wander around.”

…What?

What the hell, would it kill him to frown? At least _act_ annoyed! That was my best obnoxious voice – is this guy _actually_ a robot?

He walks off without another word, and I’m left here struggling to pick up my jaw from the (freakishly white) floor. He doesn’t even turn around to check if I’m actually following him. What if I couldn’t catch up with him? What if I ended up even more lost than I already am? He just outright doesn’t care.

It seems I’m stuck with a robot for the remainder of three months after all.

“Damn you…” I growl under my breath, trying to match his _insane_ pace and mentally pinning a target on his retreating back. “I swear I’ll knock you off your high horse… _Kokonose Haruka!_ ”

* * *

 

“Oww! _Shit!_ ” I don’t even care if there are kids around to hear me cursing. It’s kind of difficult to care about children’s innocence or that crap when my toe is crushed against the door and it hurts so much I feel like tearing up.

“Talk about bad luck…” I wrench the door open, taking extra care to put my poor toe out of harm’s way. “First that supervisor, and now this. Gimme a break already…”

Finally, I’ve managed to limp to the tiny kitchen, and rummaged wildly the fridge. Now, where did Ayano put the ice? No matter how much I rack my brain, I can’t seem to remember…and it suddenly comes to me. We had a sleepover last week, and since Ayano got a snow-cone machine from a backyard sale, we used up all the ice to splurge on snow cones. Right. I must’ve forgotten to restock since that time.

What should I do? Without ice, I’m going to have to drag this swollen toe across campus to get to Ayano’s dorm room. Getting in is no problem, since I have a key – the problem lies in actually dragging myself there. And I can’t call Ayano to my aid. She’s still in her sophomore year, meaning she has afternoon classes. If she gets her phone confiscated again, her dad isn’t gonna buy her a new one anymore.

So Ayano is out. And aside from her, I kinda…don’t have any friends…

I’m not bitter about that. I mean, I’m admitting it now, aren’t I? It’s just that…I’ve never particularly minded it before, but in these kinds of situations my friendlessness status really stings.

It would be nice to have a person to rely on. A friend, roommate, lab partner…heck, even the thought of a boyfriend doesn’t sound that nauseating anymore. It kind of sucks that I have no one to help me when Ayano isn’t around.

…It’s a little lonely.

I throw my bag on the tiny, worn-out couch and plop down on it, not even caring about the pain shooting up my toe. It’ll go away eventually, and I’m wallowing in self-pity too much to care about the dull pain.

Somewhere to my left, a door slams closed, making me jump in surprise.

That’s right. Three days ago, someone just moved to the room next to mine. I still don’t know if that person is a boy or a girl, since all the dorms are co-ed, but this seems as good as any an opportunity to find out, say hello and get some ice at the same time.

With that thought, I knock on the door of said room.

“Ugh, Momo, how many times do I have to tell you to –“ A guy throws the door open and yells in my face without even looking to see who it is. A moment later, realizing he got the wrong person, his frown morphs back to a practiced smile. “…Oh. I’m terribly sorry. I thought it was my sister.”

“No, no, it was fine, really,” I reassure him. “I live in the room next to you, and I was wondering…do you have some ice? I’ve just run out and…”

“Hmm. Yes, I think I do.” The black-haired guy nods and pushes back his unkempt hair, revealing a tired expression and dark bags under his eyes. College is really doing a number on him. “Wait here. I’ll go and get it.”

He disappears at a corner, leaving me to take a peek at his room.

Seriously, this guy should let some light in or someone might think he’s a vampire and stake him by accident. One side of the room is messy, with a bed stacked with books and a bunch of red jackets; a monitor is still flickering and the screen shows something like a…voice editor? I don’t really know much about them, but it seems they’ve been popular lately. The other side is even more of a dump; trash bags line the walls, a rather large closet at a corner, and – wait, is that a rabbit cage?

“There you go.” He drags a medium-sized bag of ice behind him with difficulty. Honestly, is he exaggerating? That bag of ice doesn’t look that heavy. Unless he’s actually that weak – now that I really look at him, he seems like a slouch. Kind of scruffy, the type that wouldn’t be caught dead at a frat party. What do they call that kind of people these days?

Ah, right. Shut-in. This guy looks like a shut-in. I would’ve called him a NEET, too, if it weren’t for the fact that he’s in college. Although it’s best not to say it in his face…

“Thank you,” I tell him and take the bag from his sagging hands. It’s not very heavy, though; he was probably just _that_ weak. “You really saved me.”

“You’re welcome.” The guy smiles – the kind that manages to look both friendly and forced – “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“No, wait!”

At the precise moment, a million thoughts run through my mind.

I was only able to get some help because this guy moved here. What if he hadn’t? Ayano wouldn’t be able to help me, and she’s currently the only one I can rely on. When it really comes down to it, I’m utterly alone.

…It hurts, just a little. But that’s precisely why I need to step up. I need friends to help me out of a pinch. Ayano isn’t omniscient; sooner or later I’ll find myself in this kind of situation again without anyone to help me.

“I…I mean…” No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to find anything to say. “Uh, thank you for helping me. Well, part of why I came here was to greet my new neighbor, too, so…nice to meet you, I guess…? Can I ask your name?”

Ugh, just when it comes to talking to strangers, my mind always goes into hibernation mode. That little traitor…if those guys down at the bar see me in this state, they’re going to laugh their asses off. Especially that annoying bartender…what’s his name again? Kano? Yeah, that’s the one.

“Hmm…” The jersey-wearing shut-in contemplates it for a while. For a second there, I thought he was annoyed – his eyebrows twitched slightly, his smile (almost) faltered into a frown and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to slam the door in my face.

…Probably just a trick of the light. No one could possibly be that rude, and certainly not the guy who helped me out of my predicament. How could he hate me when he doesn’t even know me?

“Okay.” He slowly nods and holds out his hand. “My name is Kisaragi Shintaro. Pleased to meet you.”

“Enomoto Takane. Likewise.”

The first thing I notice about his hand is that it is unusually pale and cold. He looks like he hasn’t eaten or slept in weeks, and it shows in his complexion.

Then again, who am I to talk? Any gamer worth her play time will have gone through days like this. If it weren’t for Ayano’s fussy ways, I would’ve holed myself up in my room and played for a week straight. Speaking of her…who knows, Ayano might do this guy some good. He looks like a wind can blow him away.

“Well, then, Enomoto Takane,” he says a little hesitantly, as if he weren’t used to formalities. “I still have some business to attend to, so if I may…?”

“Oh! Yes, I understand. Have a nice day.”

The door closed softly and I headed back to my own room, the pain in my foot having dulled somewhat. That guy Shintaro seems a bit awkward and pretty secretive, I think, but at least he isn’t an ass like the Kokonose guy. He even seems downright nice and polite, though it feels a bit forced to me. I wonder why.

**Author's Note:**

> BTW this is not ShinEne. Yeah, I know what it looks like. It's still not ShinEne.   
> Next chapter scheduled to update...whenever I can get my hands on a computer, I guess. By which I mean a month or so.


End file.
